Resilient tire.



T. c. PAPADOPOULOS. l

RBSILIENT TIRE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.7, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914 T. C. PAPADOPOULOS.

RESILIENT TIRE. lAPPLIUATION FILED JAN.7, 1913. V 1,1 06,238. Patented Aug. 4, 1911;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THEODORE CHBISTGS PAPADOPOULOS, OF DAYTON, OHM).

RESILIENT TIRE.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented A ug'. 4, 1914-.

Application filed January 7, 1913. Serial No. 740,637.

To all whom 1t-'may concern Be it` known that l, Tnsooonn Cmns'ros PArADoPoULos, a subject of the King of Greece, residing at 1229 West Third street, Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient Tires, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a spring tire for vehicle wheels, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construetion whereby it will operate in an effective manner to absorb the sudden shocks and jars in substantially the same way as 'a pneumatic tire.

L further object of the invention is to provide a spring tire construction for vehicle wheels which can be readily mounted in position upon an ordinary wheel, which embodies few and durable parts adapted to be readily assembled or taken apart, and which is effectively housed so that it will not be rendered ineffective by accumulations of mud and dirt.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of th'e parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointedv out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Fiure 1 is a side elevation of a Wheel provided with a'spring tire constructed in accordance withl the invention, portions being broken away and shown in section to more clearly illustrate the invention, Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the outer rim. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the outer rim and su porting springs,- taken on the line` 3-3 o Fig. 2. Figfll is an enlarged detail cross sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a modification.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Specifically describing the present embodiment of the inventionLthe numeral l designates a vehicle wheel which may be of suitable construction and is formed with the usual felly l upon which the spring rim is mounted. This spring tire includes an inner rim member 3 and an outer rim member i which is concentric Vwith and spaced from the inner rim member The inner rim member 13 is 'slightly larger than the telly Z of the vehicle wheel and is adapted to be fitted upon the salue and centered thereon in some suitable manner as by means of the centeringr screws The outer rim member 4l is composed of the hinged plates 4: and 4, the plates et being shown as of a greater length than the plates and the various plates 4 and Il being alternately disposed so that one of the short plates el is interposed between cach pair of the long plates lLL. The adjacent ends of the various plates `@and ith are formed with the tongues (3 and Gb respectively which are returned upon..themselves to provide bearing sleeves within which the pivot pins 7 are fitted. .lt will thus be obvious that the plates it and lb of which the outer rim member -l is built up are loosely jointed so as to swing freely about each other. j

interposed between each of the long plates ll" of the outer rim member 4L and the inner rim member 3 is aradially disposed heli cal spring 8, the extremities of the said spring being extended axially of the spring and threaded as indicated at 82 The inner end 8 of each of the springs S passes through the rim member 3,\vhile the outer end 8 of each of the springs 8 passes loosely through a longitudinal slot 9 in the corresponding plate 4, the two threaded ends 8 of each of the springs being provided with the nuts 10 which serve to engage the members 3 and 4t respectively to retain the various parts in proper relation to each other. The provision o the longitudinal slot 9 in each of the plates Il of the outer rim me1nber 4 enables the outer end of each ofthe helicalsprings 8 to be readily adjusted in the required manner.

A bowed or U shaped spring ll-is employcd in connection with each of the helical springs 8, the Various springs 11 being all arranged in the plane of the wheel and disposed in such a manner as to receive the helical springs 8 between the end portions thereof. The outer arm of each of the U shaped springs ll is formed with a suitable opening 11 to receive the outer threaded end 8 of the helical spring 8, while the oppositeor inner arm of each of the U shaped springs 11 is formed with a longitudinal slot 11b to receive the inner threaded end 8a of the helical spring 8, this manner of constructing the U shaped springs being advantageous in that it tends to facilitate assembly of the parts. It will also be observed that the inner ends of the U shaped 'springs 11 are rigidly connected to the inner rim member 3 by suitable fastening members such as the bolts 12. These U shaped or bowed springs 11 serve to cooperate with the helical springs 8 to increase the resiliency of the construction and facilitate the absorption of all sudden shocks and jars.

The jointed outer rim member 4 is surrounded by a ring 13 of leather or other similar material, the said ring 13 being shown as formed with openings through which the ends 8a of the springs 8 pass. The annular tread member 14, which may be of any suitable material such as rubber, surrounds the leather ring 13, land is provided upon the inner face thereof with recessed portions 15 adapted to receive the projecting ends 3a of the helical springs. Clamped between the tread 14 and the ring 13 are flanged members 16 atthe outer peripheries of'lexible sides 17. These sides 17 may be formed of "llexible and resilient metal and are provided at their inner peripheries with the annular lips or beads 1S. Retaining rings 19 which are applied to opposite sides of the wheel serve to engage the felly 1b of the wheel and the said lips or beads 1S of the ilexible sides '17.. .These retaining rings 19 are connected by transverse bolts 20 lwhich are disposed between the felly 1a of the vehicle wheel and the inner riin member 3 of the' spring rim.

' The retaining rings 19 serve to limit the outward movement of the sides 17 relatively to the vehicle wheel, and said sides 17 provide a. housing forexcluding mud, dirt and other foreign matter from the interior spring members of the rim construction. Furthermore in connection with the side plates 17 and the clamping rings 19, it will be noted that the former have no supporting function at all but act as guiding flanges, and while flexibility is one of their characteristics enabling them'to give in all directions, they may have a movement eccentric of the wheel axle within the grooves 19a of the clamping rings 19, as clearly illustrated in 'Fig 4.

Copies cf this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the A slight modifica-tion is shown by Fig. 5, in which two of the helical spring members 8b are shown as arranged side by side and interposed between the inner rim member 3a and the outer rim member 4. The various parts are substantially the same in construction as previously"described, although they are made slightly wider in order to provide ample space for the two sets of springs 8". Such a construction could be advantageously usedl in connection with heavy vehicles where a heavier and stronger construction would be necessary.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A resilient tire for vehicle wheels including in combination with inner rim member, an outer composed of jointed sections, cushioning means between the two rim members, a continuousllexible ring surrounding the outer rim member, a tread surrounding the flexible ring, side cover members provided at their outer edges with inturned flanges which are interposed between the tread and the flexible and retaining rings attached to the rino', felly and provided `with grooves which receive the inner edges of the flexible side plates and permit said inner edges to move outwardly and inwardly while limiting the outward movement thereof. l

2. A, resilient tire for vehicle wheels in cluding in. combination with the felly, a pair of-normally concentric inner and outer rim members, adjustable means for holdin one of lsaid members spaced from the felly, springs having their endsV fastened in the inner and outer rim members, a tread carried by the outer rim member, flexible side cover members provided at their outer edges with inturned flanges whichare clamped between the tread and the outer rim member. and formedat their inner edges with beads,` and retaining rings applied to the opposite sides of the fellv and provided with grooves which receive said beadsl and permit the -same tov move inwardly and outwardly while limi-ting the outward movement thereof.

In' testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses. o

THEODORE CHEISTOS PAPADOIULOS. Witnesses:

BnrnNIon H. BRoY, HELENE TRIEBLER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. il.

the felly, anrim member 

